


Yare

by orsumfenix



Category: The Lorien Legacies - All Media Types, The Lorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore
Genre: BAMF!Six, Character Development, F/F, sorta long (at least for me), though that's pretty much a given
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4133472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orsumfenix/pseuds/orsumfenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six is ready for anything upon arriving in Paradise High, Ohio. Anything except Sarah Hart. [In which Six is there in place of John, and things are a whole lot better and a whole lot worse because of it.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yare

**Author's Note:**

> yes there's original characters so be warned

Six stares at the people all hanging out outside, already in cliques and laughing and having fun and _normal_ , and can’t help but feel a little intimidated despite herself. She’s the new girl, the independent variable – the outlier.

Still, Katarina has always taught her to be strong, and how can Six expect to defeat a whole army of Mogs if she backs down from a challenge like _school_? So she squares her shoulders, trying to make herself look taller than she is – her smallish height can be viewed as both an advantage or a disadvantage in a fight, but in social situations it is definitely one of the latter.

The bell goes and she strides inside like she owns the place, ignoring the staring and the whispering as everyone takes in the tough new girl. She refuses to be weak and beg for friendship or something of the sort – she is simply herself, and no one else, and the Mogs won’t take pity on you just because you’re more pathetic than them, if that’s even possible.

* * *

As soon as Six gets inside her classroom, she is greeted by wolf whistles and “hey, beautiful”s from all around, but she ignores them. When she walks down the aisle to her seat, some guy with black hair tries to grab her ass; she catches his wrist in an iron grip and glares at him for several seconds, before he weakly stammers that he’s sorry and allows her to go.

Six smirks as she sits down, the wide eyes of everyone in the class staring at her.

If they think that she’s some kind of weak little girl, then they’ve got another thing coming.

* * *

“Hey,” a voice says after class. Six looks to the side to see a pretty blonde girl smiling at her, camera hanging round her neck. She and the girl are being stared at by everyone in the hallway, but that doesn’t stop the other girl from raising the camera, still smiling widely. “Mind if I take your picture?”

Six _does_ mind, as a matter of fact, but before she can get a chance to say so the girl snaps the photo anyway. Six blinks, simultaneously thinking _oh god, there is a picture of me in the world_ and _who even_ is _this girl_? But the girl carries on speaking, unaware of her inner turmoil.

“I’m Sarah,” she introduces, letting the camera hang around her neck once more. “Sarah Hart.”

“I’m Maren,” Six responds with, the lie rolling easily off her tongue. “Maren Elizabeth Jones.”

Sarah is still grinning, and it’s quite unnerving.

“So, where are you from, Maren Elizabeth Jones?” she asks, randomly linking arms with Six and beginning to lead her away to god-knows-where. Six fights the urge to tear her grip away, instead having to settle for clenching her teeth behind closed lips and tolerate it. “Not Paradise, that’s for sure.” She laughs, and it’s a nice sound, Six thinks.

“I move around a lot,” she informs, and it isn’t technically a lie. “But I came directly from…” She whizzes through places in her head, internally cursing herself for not thinking up a suitable lie for this earlier. “Chicago,” she settles on, hoping that the pause hasn’t given her away.

Sarah doesn’t seem to notice it, though. She just nods.

“What brings you to little old Paradise, then?” she carries on questioning, pulling Six down to sit with her as she does so. Suddenly she’s faced by the stares of the other girls that Sarah apparently sits with, and she forces herself to smile awkwardly.

“My mum is doing a study,” she lies as if it’s second nature, meeting the eyes of everyone on the table as if daring them to doubt her. “She’s looking at how large and small communities can impact people’s attitudes towards each other.”

Everyone nods and a couple mutter that it’s quite interesting. Sarah looks especially fascinated, but seems to snap straight back into remembering something.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot!” she exclaims, gesturing to Six. “Everyone, this is Maren Elizabeth Jones. Maren, this is Emily Goring, Yuna Kobayashi, Macia Blaszak and Binta William-Aguda.” All the girls nod, greeting ‘Maren’ and reintroducing themselves, and Six just nods and smiles back, wondering how she’s gotten into the situation of having to make friends.

The answer would, of course, be _Sarah Hart_.

* * *

Six has never been one to let the underdog get trampled on, so when she meets Sam Goode – geeky, teased and mercilessly picked-on – she decides that if she’s going to end up with friends, so is he.

The boy trying to rough him up – the one from earlier, the one who tried to pinch her bum – soon finds himself on the floor looking up in shock at Six, with a sore area around his eye which will soon turn black, and Six just glares at him until he gets up and hurriedly leaves.

“Um,” the geeky boy stammers, looking terrified. “Thanks, I guess.” Six is ready to walk off and let it all be forgotten by then, but he stops her by carrying on. “I’m Sam, by the way. Sam Goode.” She internally sighs, wondering if she’s doomed to have _everyone_ try and make friends with her, but she gives up her (admittedly false) name anyway.

“Maren Elizabeth Jones,” she states, wondering why Katarina chose such an absurdly long name – seriously, just Maren Jones would do – but Sam decides that he’s going to comment on it.

“Wow, that’s… that doesn’t suit you at all. You look like, an Eagle or something.”

Six is stunned enough to stare at him blankly, and he blushes and hurriedly stammers, “sorry, that was weird, I’ll shut up now…”

“No,” she interrupts, somehow finding a smile falling on to her lips. “No, it’s okay. Eagle is a cool name. I might change mine to Eagle when I’m older.” Then she grins, teeth displayed fully for the first time since she got here, and she wonders why Sam looks a bit scared.

“Um… okay,” he says a bit weakly, and this, _this_ is why she’s bad at making friends, so she awkwardly wanders off and curses herself for letting her guard down and getting involved.

* * *

“How was your first day?” Katarina asks, and Six just nods absentmindedly.

“It was good,” she responds with, and Katarina must sense that she wants to be left alone because she doesn’t press any further.

Six is glad for it.

* * *

As Six is walking down the corridor with Sarah and Emily, the black-haired-boy shoots her a glare that Six blanches at. _If looks could kill…_

“Who _is_ that?” she asks once he’s firmly behind them and out of earshot. Sarah glances behind them and sighs as she spots the boy, nose scrunching up. Emily rolls her eyes.

“That’s Mark James,” the latter girl informs, casting a brief look at said teenager before her eyes flicker back to Six’s. “Resident jock and massive jerk.” Six just nods, disinterested. Sounds like that kid from the ship – she can’t remember his number, near the end, she thinks – he was rude and obnoxious and overly loud. He had black hair, too – long and scraggly. It seems to be a thing.

“He’s okay once you get to know him,” Sarah cuts in, smiling weakly. “You just… don’t know him.”

“Sarah!” Emily exclaims. “How can you say that? He was effecting you with his jerkishness, we could all see it.”

Six is bored by this already, so she decides to cut in with her opinion on the matter.

“Boys are stupid,” she declares, ignoring the funny looks sent from people around her. She kind of said that a bit loud. “You’re better off just ignoring them.”

“Amen to that,” a Hispanic girl in the corridor by her says, and next thing she knows she’s got several other girls nodding and agreeing with her. “Hey,” the same girl says. “You’re the new girl, right?” At Six’s nod, she grins and moves toward her, extending a hand. “Hi,” she greets. “I’m Madeira.”

“Maren,” she responds with, the lie rolling easily off her tongue. As she shakes Madeira’s hand, she takes in the other girl. Madeira is smallish, but since Six is too they seem about the same height. She has dark curly hair that frames her face and reaches just past her shoulders, sitting under a battered green baseball cap. Her outfit is odd – denim jacket, black leggings a white shirt clinging to her tightly, but all personalised, with little sown and drawn on doodles.

She hopes that Madeira will let it go there and then, but instead the girl carries on pressing.

“Where are you from, Maren?” she asks, doing the thing that Sarah did yesterday, taking her arm and beginning to lead her away from the spot where she’d been standing. Sarah and Emily follow behind them, and Six notes vaguely that Binta has now joined them. She sighs. If she’s going to end up with friends, might as well make an effort to be civil.

“Directly? Chicago,” she answers, making sure to stick to her earlier lie. “But mainly I move around a lot.”

Madeira nods and grins.

“Sounds fun!” she exclaims, and Six has no doubt that it does sound exactly that way to Madeira. Then the other girl sighs mournfully. “I wish I had moved around a lot as a kid. My mum and her side of the family, they’re from Portugal, but I’ve never even been.” She scuffs the ground with her toe as they walk, and Six has to raise an eyebrow at how dramatic this other girl is. “So not fair. _Graciela_ got to go – she’s my older sister, by the way – and I think that I was gonna go, but, well, that was before the _accident_ …”

Much in that fashion, Madeira continues to chat and blabber about herself and her heritage and her family, not seeming to realise that Six doesn’t really care. Somehow, though, she finds herself listening in and, somehow, just slightly interested.

* * *

Due to some fluke, Six finds that Maren Elizabeth Jones has managed to become the most popular person in the school in a matter of days.

* * *

On her third day, a girl with dirty blonde hair and olive skin approaches her.

“Just to say,” the girls says, and Six notes what she’s wearing subconsciously; knitted pink beret, dark green coat, fingerless black gloves, dark boots, jeans and a purple shirt. Seems she has the same odd sense of style as Madeira. “I think what you did to Mark on your first day was really cool. Grabbing his arm when he tried to squeeze your butt? Like, I have never seen such girl power.”

Six just nods awkwardly. “Thanks.”

She doesn’t know how to deal with praise. Never has. Katarina has only ever congratulated her when it’s something _very_ good – Six is more used to constructive criticism. She knows how to react to that – to work on it, and keep working until she gets whatever it is right.

“Oh, Maren,” she hears Madeira say from behind her. The springy girl pops out and stands beside the blonde girl, taking her hand. “I see you’ve met my girlfriend. This is Angie. Angie, this is Maren. She’s the awesome new girl  I was talking about.”

Angie grins, all white teeth showing, and it looks eerily similar to the way Madeira smiles.

“Nice to meet you, Maren,” she greets, just as she spots someone behind Six. “Oh. Hey Sam.”

Six whirls around to be faced with Sam Goode himself, all skinny frame with thick glasses that look out of place on his pale face.

“Um, hi Angie,” he mumbles, sounding awkward. “I, uh, I was wondering if I could take to Maren. Alone.” He looks nervous, and Six can’t help but empathise with him. She knows what it’s like to be the outsider, and even more so to suddenly have people be friendly with you.

Six leads him to the side of the corridor, out the way of the stream of people, and he grins weakly at her. Whenever someone tries to get close and maybe listen in on their conversation, she makes sure to shoot glares at them, ensuring that the discussion stays _private_.

“I don’t get it,” Sam says, almost to himself. “Angie’s never spoken to me before. I never thought she even knew that I existed.”

Six shrugs.

“Apparently she does,” she comments, and Sam cracks a smile.

“It’s nice,” he says, again as though talking to the air. “To be noticed, I mean. Usually if someone _does_ notice me, it’s just to pick on me.”

“I noticed you,” Six points out, making Sam grin happily.

“You did.” Then, almost straight away, he looks flushed and embarrassed and awkward again. “That’s, um, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.” Six waits for a couple seconds as he looks nervous and shifts on his feet a bit.

The bell goes at that moment, and Sam’s head jerks up like a startled rabbit.

“Um, I’ve gotta go,” he says hurriedly, rushing off. Six stares at him, then realising that she herself has somewhere to be.

“Hey Maren,” a voice says beside her, and Six looks to her right to see Sarah standing there with a wide smile. “What have you got next?”

“I have no idea,” she admits honestly. Sarah just nods, almost as though she was expecting it.

“Check your timetable,” she suggests, and, much to her annoyance at not doing it sooner, Six does so. Sarah peers over with lips pursed and eyebrows raised, her bright blue eyes roaming said sheet, and when they lock on to whatever Six has next her posture straightens and her grins fully.

“You’re in Home Ec. with me,” she announces, doing the annoying thing where she grabs Six’s arm and begins to tug her along. “I hope we get paired up. If we do, we get to work together for the rest of the year.” Sarah sounds genuinely happy about that, and Six can’t help but roll her eyes.

“Great,” she sarcastically mutters. Sarah seems to overhear, but apparently doesn’t pick up the sarcasm as she leads Six along.

Six wonders whether the rest of her time here will be spent like this.

* * *

Sure enough, Six and Sarah get paired together, and it’s all Six can do not to groan. The blonde grins at her, and as they begin to make their food Sarah feels the need to fill Six in on all the little details of her past relationship with Mark.

Six really tries not to care, but when she hears about how Sarah was shipped off to an aunt and grew to love photography, she can’t help but respect this girl. Sarah Hart has apparently gone from being a bitchy cheerleader to a kind and compassing girl, and it’s something that Six can appreciate.

Still doesn’t mean that she has to like the ‘girl bonding time’ (to quote Sarah). She’s better off not caring about people and not getting involved with human affairs, but when a girl called Freya and her twin brother Freddy Longsworth decide that they now want to be friends with her, she once again has very little choice on the matter.

“You’re Maren, right?” Freya says as she encounters her by the ovens, waiting for their food to finish cooking. “It’s cool to meet you. Everyone’s been talking about you.” Six feels an eyebrow go up.

“They have?”

Freddy nods, fluffy brown hair moving with him.

“They said that you stopped Mark James from beating up Sam Goode,” he enthuses, looking excited at the prospect. “That was really cool of you. Normally no one stands up to Mark.” Six frowns.

“Well maybe if more people did then I wouldn’t have to,” she says darkly, just as Sarah pops up with a grin and oven gloves.

“They’re ready,” she announces, reaching in and pulling them out from the oven. Then she notices the twins. “Oh, hey Freya. Hi Freddy.”

Both siblings nod, and Six grimaces. She can’t believe she’s actually been forced into being _social_.

As they walk back to their place, Sarah nudges Six with her elbow as well as she can with her hands full.

“So you’re quite the little hero, huh?” the blonde asks rhetorically, laughing as she does. “Must be nice. To know that people think of you that way.”

Six thinks of the responsibility lying her shoulders, on _all_ the Nine’s shoulders, and thinks that , no, it isn’t nice at all.

* * *

“Madeira Harris!” a voice booms, and Six looks up to see the coach looming over said girl beside her. “Do you ever shut up?!”

“Not really,” the Hispanic girl responds with, and Six raises an eyebrow. Seems Madeira’s pretty confident.

The coach’s nostrils flare, but he seems to know when to move on so he just scowls, going on to talk about how they’re going to be running and timing their scores. A series of groans emits from the rest of the girls, but the coach just tells them to shut up and get a move on.

“It’s not fair,” Six hears someone comment behind her as they begin to jog around the big circle, some at different paces than others. Her gaze flickers behind her to see one of the girls Sarah sits with – Macia Blaszak, was it? – talking to Angie. “The boys get to do it much later in the year, but we have to do it _now_ for some god-unknown reason.”

There is a light laugh that can only be Madeira.

“I don’t know why you’re complaining,” the curly-haired girl announces, her footsteps speeding up. “Me, I _love_ running!”

Six tunes out to the rest of their conversation, keeping focused on jogging at a steady pace, one that is fast enough to let her stay ahead of most of the girl’s but slow enough not to be suspicious.

“Hey!” a voice exclaims beside her, drawing her out of her reverie. Six looks over to see Sarah grinning widely at her, with Emily Goring and Yuna Kobayashi just a few paces in front of them. “You’re pretty fast.”

At Sarah’s words Six slows instinctively down. The blonde girl seems to notice and huffs as best she can considering that they’re running, slowing herself down to keep pace with Six. Shame. She’d been hoping for some alone time.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know,” Sarah comments after several moments, garnering Six’s attention. The smaller girl looks over to see Sarah with an odd look on her face, the shadows of a frown resting on her brow. “Being better than someone at something. I mean, don’t rub it in someone’s face, but you shouldn’t pretend to be slow if you can be fast.”

Six is momentarily stunned by the – surprisingly deep – words the other girl has come out with, but within seconds the smile is back and Sarah’s back to being bubbly.

“Ah, I love running,” she states, throwing her head back and letting her ponytail bob with it. Six watches, transfixed, and she isn’t looking where she’s going so it’s technically her own fault when she crashes straight into Yuna Kobayashi.

“Ouch!” the Japanese girl exclaims as she falls to the floor, Six going down with her. She grimaces as the scrape she feels, wrinkling up her nose, though that isn’t the only thing bothering her. She can’t afford  to be so careless on the battle field. It could get her killed one day – _will_ get her killed, if she doesn’t pay more attention next time.

“Sorry,” she apologises, though she’s more sorry for letting her guard down than crashing into the other girl. Pulling herself onto her feet, she surveys the area. Several other girls have stopped to help and observe – among them Macia, Emily, Angie and Madeira. Sarah is standing there as, well arms folded and looking worried as she plays with her bottom lip.

“Are the two of you alright?” she asks, and Six finds it odd that the blonde seems genuinely concerned for her well-being. Or maybe she’s just worried about Yuna and doesn’t want to look rude by _only_ caring about Yuna.

“I’m fine,” Yuna states from the floor, pulling herself up from the floor as she does so. She winces as she brushes some dirt from her legs, and Six feels kind of bad when she notices a sore spot which will almost certainly turn into a bruise. _That was my fault_ , her mind seems to say.

It’s all over within seconds and soon everyone is back to sprinting, but Six can’t focus. Because that was the problem, she didn’t _focus,_ and this time it was just crashing into Yuna but what if it grows to be something worse than that? What if she’s fighting, and doesn’t focus and she gets herself – or, worse, one of her allies – _killed?_

They can’t afford to lose another Loric, not because of her stupidity.

_She_ can’t afford to be so stupid.

“Hey, Maren,” Sarah says softly beside her as they jog. Her face looks gentle but her posture is rigid, like she doesn’t quite know what she’s supposed to be doing or saying. “It wasn’t your fault, ‘kay?”

When Six doesn’t respond, instead keeping her gaze on the track ahead, Sarah slowly, hesitantly, reaches out to try and clasp her arm on Six’s. Six jerks away as soon as she feels contact, the warmness of Sarah’s arm beginning to seep into hers, and she ignores the hurt look on Sarah’s face as the other girl also recoils, opening her mouth to begin to say, “I’m sorry…”

Six ignores the part of her that says she liked that touch.

Instead she journeys on, quickening her pace, and she’s never been so glad for her enhanced physical abilities as she is right now.

She sprints the last lap.

* * *

At some point, as she’s running, Six feels a tingling that isn’t the ghost the Sarah’s touch. It’s her arm healing, already, and she allows a small, hesitant smile to crawl onto her face upon the realisation that she just developed a new legacy.

* * *

The next day, after Six has gone home and told Katarina about the new ability and trained rigorously to try and correct her mistake, to try and _focus_ , she is tired and exhausted to the bone. When she happens to glance in the mirror, she sees large bags under her eyes and a slightly unhealthy pallor to her skin, but just sighs and splashes water on her face.

Upon arriving at the school, she immediately seeks out Yuna to apologise for yesterday, although it turns out she didn’t need to. The Japanese girl seems to have forgotten all about it, much to Six’s relief. Everyone does – everyone besides Sarah.

When Six spots the blonde girl, she tries her hardest to avoid her. Coward as it is, she’s not sure that she can face Sarah right now, not after the way she reacted yesterday. Flinching away is an instinct that she’s tried to avoid, but she can’t help but remember being kidnapped by the Mogs, so many years ago – now she’s grateful, because without it she may never have discovered her invisibility legacy, but that doesn’t change the fact that at the time she was scared shitless and it still ranks on her top three worst experiences.

She’s so focused on getting away from Sarah that she barely notices when she walks smack into Sam, who looks at her with big eyes and apprehension on his face.

“Wow, um, you okay?” he asks, looking awkward. Six just nods, fully aware of the bad state her appearance is currently in. Normally she wouldn’t care, but attention is something she’s always been taught to avoid and the fact that she’s gaining so much is unnerving her. “You sure? You look… ill.”

“I’m fine,” she informs curtly, frowning at the way Sam still looks uncertain. Six grimaces. “You’re right, I – I’m ill.”

Sam nods, though he still doesn’t look like he believes her.

“Maybe you should go home,” he ventures, smiling weakly at her glare at the very notion. “I mean, if you’re ill, then you’re not going to get any better by being here.”

* * *

The weekend drags on, especially considering that Six went home early on Friday. Katarina had accepted it easily, simply seeing it as an opportunity to fit some extra training in. Due to this, by Monday Six is bone-tired, and she’s almost forgotten about what happened on Thursday.

Sarah has forgotten, too, it would seem, but that doesn’t mean Six can look her straight in the eyes yet. The blonde greets her with a smile and a hug as though they are old friends, despite the fact that they’ve actually known each other for less than a month.

Six finds that she doesn’t mind.

* * *

By some strange chain of events, discussing people’s favourite flavours of ice cream at dinner lead to Sarah inviting ‘Maren’ out to ice cream which lead to Six sitting uncomfortably at a table as the blonde orders for the both of them.

Six tries to avoid the eyes of everyone else there, feeling so out of place as they look so _in_ place because – because Six has never done anything like this. She’s never been the girl that can just casually nip to the ice cream parlour round the corner, never been that person that just lists off what flavours they want before paying over and leaving a big tip.

Being a Loric on the run has never allowed for any of that, and Six finds it odd that, while she’s tried so hard to blend in almost all her life, it’s now that she’s at her most ordinary, when she isn’t even trying. When it’s almost like she’s on a…date.

Six flushes slightly at even the thought, immediately mentally denying it. No, this is _not_ a date, surely – she and Sarah aren’t even dating.

( _That wouldn’t stop Sarah,_ some part of her mind whispers, but she chooses to ignore it.)

When Sarah finally comes over with the ice creams, with a wide smile and pleasantries, Six smiles slowly, hesitantly back, and the two speak as though Six is a normal person, and Six finds that she rather likes it.

Six finds that she also rather likes Sarah.

And that could be a problem in the long run.

* * *

Somehow, life in Paradise High becomes normal. Six goes to her lessons, mostly with Sarah. She learns that Madeira’s girlfriend’s full name is Angie Jacobs, and they’ve been going strong and steady for almost a year now. Mark James learns to leave her alone, him and his little ‘gang’. She finds Sam Goode to be a nice guy – a good companion, smart but not obnoxiously so.

Her and Katarina decide to sit out of the Halloween Parade. No doubt Mark James will be there, making a big spectacle of himself, and that’s something Six would rather not be involved with. Plus, in the dark and surrounded by people – it would be all too easy for a Mog to sneak in and stab a knife through the back whilst no one was watching.

(She may be Number Six, and the charm may still be in effect, but that doesn’t mean that she needs any unwanted attention.

That would mean that they’d have to move again, and that’s the last thing they need.)

Yuna seems to have moved on from that little incident in PE, and next thing Six knows the Japanese girl is regularly pairing up with her in said lesson. The two turn out to be the fastest in the class, so Six somehow often finds herself running alongside her and chatting… well, listening as Yuna chats, as she soon discovers.

Madeira seems to be inserting herself more and more into Six’s life. Whether it be randomly jumping on her back when she arrives at school or unexpectedly taking a single Home Ec. class just to be with her, apparently, Six finds herself with a new best friend wiggled into her life. Even worse, she finds that she doesn’t mind.

Well, she doesn’t mind until she discovers that Macia Blaszak is having a party and would like her to come, a whole month after her arrival.

“Maren, honey,” she says when Six questions her on it, the edges of Macia’s lips twitching up into what could be either a smile or a smirk (and there is, no matter what anyone else says, a major difference). “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re the most popular girl in the school now. _Of course_ I want you to come.” Six blinks, because she’d noticed random people that she doesn’t even know coming and talking to her or sitting next to her, but she’s never exactly been socially observant.

“I’m not exactly a social butterfly,” she states, frowning when Macia just throws her head back and laughs.

“Oh, we’ve noticed,” Yuna chimes in from next to her, clutching a handful of envelopes to give out herself. “You don’t even try, you’re just yourself, and people love you for it.”

“Now,” Macia states, finally handing Six’s envelope towards her, grinning at the smaller girl’s blank expression. “Madeira’s your best friend, right?” Six nods, leaving out the ‘not by choice’ part. Somehow, she’s grown to actually _like_ the Hispanic girl. “Well, she’ll be there, but odds are she’ll just spend the whole night snogging Angie.” Macia winks and Six blinks. “Anyway, I’ll be there, duh, and so will Yuna and Binta and everyone. And so will Sarah! You’re dating Sarah, right?”

“Right,” Six agrees on instinct. Then, “wait, what?”

“So, Sarah will be there, and you can pull a Madeira and spend the night in a corner with her somewhere - ”

“But we’re not – I’m not… Me and Sarah aren’t dating!” Six splutters, and Macia’s grin turns slightly evil.

“Wow,” Yuna comments, squinting jokingly. “Is Maren flustered? I can swear Maren’s flustered.”

“But Maren doesn’t _get_ flustered!” Macia teases, going along with it. Then she pauses and that devious grin turns into a straight-up smirk. “Unless, of course, it’s about _Sarah_.”

“Wow,” Yuna states, awe in her voice. “I have _never_ seen Maren flustered so much!”

“I’ve never seen her flustered _at all_ ,” a voice comments by them – Freya, accepting her own invitation. She grins, an odd glint in her eyes. “What’s gotten you so worked up?”

“Sarah,” Macia states simply, and Freya joins them with the evil grinning.

“Ah,” she says, crossing her arms. “ _Sarah_ , huh? So _that’s_ who Maren likes.”

“I don’t like her!” she snaps, just as she hears the sound of a throat clearing behind her.

Sarah herself is standing awkwardly, smiling a little with one hand raised in a small wave.

“Hey guys,” she greets, eyeing the invitations. “You’ve convinced Maren to come, right?”

Yuna nods, hair bobbing up and down with her.

“Oh yeah,” she drawls, continuing even with the glare Six shoots her at her next statement. “She agreed straight away when she heard that you’d be there.”

Six feels the need to facepalm, especially with the added giggles of Freya and Macia. But if Sarah catches on to their discussion then she doesn’t let it show. Instead, she smiles with… relief, apparently.

“Oh, thank god,” she comments, brushing some hair out of her face. Six watches her hand, wondering why it transfixes her so much. “I was worried you wouldn’t come and I’d be all on my lonesome.”

Six hears some gasps from behind her, mocking ones. She rolls her eyes on instinct, just _knowing_ that it’s Madeira.

And, sure enough, it’s the voice of her best friend speaking up.

“Sarah, how could you say that? _We’ll_ be there!”

“ _You’ll_ be eating Angie’s face off all night!”

“Well, she is tasty.”

“Oh, hold on – Binta! I’ve got your invite here!”

And as her friends turn to friendly banter and laughter, Six finds that she rather likes having friends.

* * *

Randomly, while Six is jogging alongside Yuna in PE, Sarah ends up jogging beside them, smiling with a small little wave as a way of greeting.

“Howdy,” she states happily, blonde ponytail bobbing up and down. It takes Six’s full concentration not to focus on that like last time, instead purposefully averting her hazel eyes on the track ahead. “How’re y’all doin’?” Sarah drawls, and Six thinks on some strange level that a southern accent suits her.

“Fine, Sarah,” Yuna answers, looking amused. At the same time, Six asks blandly, “What’s with the cowboy roleplay?”

Sarah tips her head, looking bubbly.

“My aunt bought me a cowgirl hat, for apparently no reason,” she exclaims happily with a little laugh, doing a small skip in her jog. “It’s gotten me in the mood, shall we say.” She winks and Yuna laughs. Six only allows the corners of her lips to turn up ever so slightly.

“I think I’ll leave the two of you alone,” Yuna proclaims, slowing her pace. Six watches as she takes up a spot besides Macia, the two immediately striking up conversation on something or other, before her gaze shifts back to the staring Sarah.

“You know,” Sarah muses. “You look really serious when you’re running. Like if you stop then you’ll die or something.” Six chooses not to flinch or bother answering the unspoken question of _why_ hanging in the air, instead continuing to focus on the track ahead. In the corner of her eye she sees Six looking sad, almost as though she’s proving whatever Sarah said. “See, you’re doing it now. Barely even noticing, just looking ahead.”

Six scowls, knowing that Sarah is right and hating it.

There is silence for a few minutes, then Six decides to speak up – to offer to Sarah at least _some_ of her past to her. The blonde has been such a good friend in these past few months, human or not, and Six doesn’t like owing people.

“When I was younger I was kidnapped,” she says, ignoring the sharp intake of breath coming from Sarah’s general direction. Six quickens her pace slightly, confident in Sarah’s ability to keep up, for fear of Yuna and Macia and god knows who else overhearing from behind them. She knows that Freya for certain would have let the whole school know by the end of the day, if she happened to overhear. “Me and Kata – my mum both. We were held for several months before I managed to escape, and got the police in on it.” That last part was a lie, but Six at least has to make it sound believable.

“Maren…” Sarah says breathlessly, voice quiet, but Six hates the pity in her voice and she’s not done yet.

“Those months of captivity were awful,” she comments, not daring to meet Sarah’s eyes. She would probably shut her own, but she can’t look away from the track, from the path ahead – not now, not ever. “I’m not too proud to admit that I didn’t come out unscathed.” She grimaces at the thought of some of the scars she still holds. “And, the whole time I was there, I could only think about the fact that they caught me with my guard down. I hadn’t been concentrating.

“There must have been earlier opportunities for me to escape, but I just didn’t notice them. And for most of the time we were there…” Her voice cracks and she takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she can whilst still jogging. Her eyes haven’t moved from the track ahead. When she continues her voice sounds light and far away, so unlike what she’s used to, the hard and sharp tone. “All the time we were there, they were torturing my mum. And I couldn’t do _anything_ to stop them.” Her voice shakes slightly and she internally curses herself for the noticeable wobble.

“When I hit Yuna, it was because I wasn’t concentrating.” Six whispers the last part, although it can be heard loud and clear in the silence Sarah is providing. “And I knew that it was just another person that got hurt because I couldn’t focus.”

Sarah is silent as she jogs beside her. Six’s fists clench, but she’s glad for the quiet. It’s odd, but she feels as though a great weight has been lifted off of her chest. Her heart, her whole body feels lighter and more open, and it isn’t because of the running.

“…I don’t know what to say,” Sarah finally says, breaking the silence, and a grim smile comes to Six’s face, twisting her nose in an odd way.

“You don’t have to say anything,” she states, and she realises that it’s the truth. “You just… you just had to listen. And you did.” And, for the first time, Six takes her eyes fully off the track to look at Sarah, with a great deep understanding on her face. “Thank you,” she says honestly, and Sarah smiles – sadly but gently, and Six appreciates it.

Sarah takes her hand and squeezes lightly, a gesture of comfort, of companionship, and Six is slightly exhilarated to find that once Sarah’s hand has left hers, she misses the warmth.

* * *

A couple days later Sarah isn’t in, so for Home Ec. Six is paired off with Binta William-Aguda. Truth to be told, she’s only spoken to the black girl twice, and both times it’s not been about either of them or their personal lives – just things in general, things with no relation to them.

“I know you aren’t from Chicago,” Binta mentions _way_ too casually as they’re making cupcakes. Six hums in disinterest, before the words take hold and her head snaps up.

“ _What?_ ” Her tone is sharp, low and bordering on dangerous. Binta just shoots her an amused look and continues to mix the batter.

“I said,” she repeats calmly and slowly, almost as though talking to a child. It irritates Six, but not so much so that it overwhelms her fear at Binta’s last statement. “I know you’re not from Chicago.” She pauses for a second to scrape some batter that’s stuck on the spoon, before continuing to stir. “You’re from Lorien.”

Six just stares at her, mouth opening and closing soundlessly like a gaping fish. But still, Binta continues.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody,” Binta states carelessly, as though it’s not Six’s true identity and life they’re discussing here.  Binta pauses and smirks. “Six.”

“Wha – how did you…?” Six trails off at Binta’s nonchalant look and wave of the hand.

“I’m psychic, it’s not a big deal,” the African girl comments, beginning to pour the battery-gloop into the little cake cups. “Passed down from my mum.”

Six feels faint, and she doesn’t know what to do _at all_ , because none of her training covered this, so instead she just asks if perhaps she could meet Binta’s mum.

Much to her surprise, Binta agrees.

* * *

Binta’s mother turns out to be a woman named Jamila Aguda, an African woman in her late forties. She’s very welcoming towards both Six and Katarina, who Six has explained the situation to and is worried enough to come along, for Six’s ‘protection’.

“Binta, would you make some tea for us, please?” Jamila requests of her daughter, who nods and leaves almost immediately. It’s a badly concealed encouragement to leave, but luckily Binta doesn’t seem to take offense at all.

Jamila smiles warmly at the both of them, but Katarina has trained her to be paranoid and her Cepan is equally so, and the smile is left unreturned.

“I must say,” Jamila begins, crossing her legs from where she sits on the couch. “When I heard of the attack on Lorien, I was very disturbed. The news that the planet’s revival had been left in the hands of mere _children_ worried me even more.” The smile comes back, and Jamila uncrosses her legs. It’s getting to be a bit annoying, this habit of hers.

“And what do you think now?” Katarina blatantly asks, muscles tense and eyes sharp. “You’ve met Six, so now what do you think?”

Jamila’s smile is still there – but softer now, more genuine.

“I think,” she says carefully, the words measured and patient. “That I had no cause to worry. If Number Six – and yourself – are any indication, then the Loric chosen are more than capable, with level heads on their shoulders.” The smile finally slips off her face and she lets her weariness and fatigue show, and it occurs to Six that it’s Jamila’s planet at stake, too, if they fail. “Though I suppose that wasn’t enough for the first three.”

Several moments of awkward silence pass before Binta returns and interrupts with a tray, holding three cups of tea and a plate of biscuits. Jamila accepts hers with an easy smile and casual accepting sip of her drink. Binta takes a seat by Six, and when both Six and Katarina’s cups remain untouched she points.

“Are you going to drink that?” she asks bluntly, and at Six’s distrusting shake of the head, Binta shrugs, reaches out and begins to down it herself. Jamila sighs and shakes her head in exasperation, but places her own cup down.

“Miss Katar,” Jamila begins, and Six watches Katarina’s flinch at being called her (presumably) real name. Jamila pauses. “If I am allowed to call you that?” At Katarina’s hesitant nod, she continues. “Miss Katar, would it surprise you to know that not a single person in this room is fully human?”

Katarina still looks shocked and slightly disturbed, but she’s strong, and she gives her answer firmly.

“It’s looking that way, yes,” she replies quietly, still not leaning forward for a sip of her drink or a biscuit. She hesitates before carrying on. “If you don’t mind me asking… just how human are you?”

Binta looks up from her drink.

“Should I leave?”

Jamila looks slightly nervous about it, but slowly shakes her head at her daughter’s question.

“No, no you can stay, Binta.” She gives the younger black girl a smile, a hesitant one, but still one that fits nicely on her face. “This is your heritage, too, and I’ve been wrong to keep so much of it from you for so long.” Binta nods and looks calm on the inside, but both in her eyes and in the relaxation of her shoulders Six can see her relief.

“So,” Jamila clears her throat, shifting a little and re-folding her legs. Six frowns at the movement. It certainly _is_ getting to be annoying. “I suppose the story starts with my own parents. Both were Loric, as perhaps you have guessed, and they came to Earth in order to both study and advance the culture in Bhisho, the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It was there that I was born and raised.  

“A couple months after my tenth birthday,” Jamila continues. “I began to display signs of legacies – like my mother before me and my daughter after me, I began to use my psychic abilities from a very young age, in Loric terms at least. I suppose I developed quickly, compared to other Loric – I got my telekinesis within a week, and further gained more legacies such as flight and even elemental manipulation, as I believe that you, Six, also have. It cause me quite a few problems growing up, but now I am in full control of my abilities.

“A vision that I shared with my mother showed that one day Lorien would come under attack from a foreign but still known race. My parents travelled back in order to warn the people. Worried for my safety, they left me behind when I was twelve, in the care of a human family that were kind enough to take me in.

“As you know, there was eventually a restriction on Loric going to or settling down on Earth. I heard about this – however, I was stranded on Earth. I had to train myself to control my abilities, and luckily I did.

“I eventually moved to America where I met my husband Gary William, with who I had my two children – Binta and her younger brother Ayo. Gary, I am certain is human. Therefore, my children are both half human, half Loric. Binta has developed my psychic abilities – however, she has displayed no other legacies. I believe this to be the extent of her powers.

“Ayo has not yet shown any concrete evidence, but there has been some circumstantial things, enough so for me to believe that he has also developed this. But I want you to understand something.” Jamila stops to let the weight of next words sink in, looking Six and Katarina in the eyes individually. “I do not want you to involve me or my children in this war in any way. I know that the fight cannot be avoided – in all honesty, I wouldn’t mind fighting myself. But I am a Loric, and I have abilities that will help me to defend myself.

“Please – don’t get my children caught up in this. Six, you can be Binta’s friend, but in the name of Lorien, _do not make her fight_.”

The tension in the air is thick – it could be cut with a knife. Six’s eyes flicker about, taking in the facial expressions of the other three females. Then,

“And what if I want to fight?”

Six looks to her side to see Binta sitting straight and serious, with a kind of determined strength in her eyes that Six can respect. When she looks back, Jamila is sitting the same, with a mirroring expression.

“I won’t let you,” is her simple answer.

“But what if I do?” Binta presses, and Six can’t help but let a wry smile come to her face at how very _Loric_ the girl seems at this moment.

Jamila has no trace of a smile now – she is stern and serious, even while she takes the last sip of her tea.

“Then I will have to stop you.”

And Six doesn’t doubt for a second that she will.

* * *

In the following weeks, Six finds herself growing closer to Binta. Sarah is back, for which she is grateful. Oddly enough, she found that one Sarah’s day off, Six… missed her. ( _Not_ that she’d ever admit it.)

Binta introduces her to Ayo, her eight-year-old brother, and Six isn’t the soft sort but she can honestly say that the little kid is one of the cutest people she has ever met. Occasionally creepy and displaying the beginnings of being psychic, yes, but still _adorable_. (Again, not that she’d ever admit it.)

She’s growing closer to Sarah, too – horrifically closer. Somehow, Six is finding herself looking forward to seeing Sarah smile, to having Sarah’s skin brush against hers, to even _speaking_ to Sarah… She doesn’t know what this is and she doesn’t like it, but at the same time she really, _really_ does.

Madeira is still annoyingly friendly. Her one-year-anniversary with Angie comes around two weeks after Six’s little visit to Binta’s house, and Madeira spends the whole day grinning her face off like crazy. Six makes the mistake of asking what’s gotten her so cheerful – and promptly has her ear talked off by her best friend.

“We’re going to Angie’s tonight!” Madeira declares happily, grinning with her teeth on full display. Six lets a small smile come on to her face, half from genuine pleasure at how happy her friend is and the other half worried that if she doesn’t then Madeira will grab her cheeks and stretch her mouth for her (as she has done before). “Angie’s place is great! So much better than mine, it’s unbelievable!”

“What’s so bad about yours?” Six asks, just to move the topic on. She doesn’t expect Madeira’s face to fall slightly, for the Hispanic girl to lose her smile. The grin itself is so constant that Madeira looks like a stranger without it – hollow, distant, empty.

“Nothing’s bad about mine,” she says quietly and innocently, all wide-eyed, but Six is a liar for a living and she _knows_ how to spot another one.

The bell goes and Madeira looks grateful, rushing off. Six watches her go, eyes narrowed.

* * *

“I see you’ve grown closer with Binta,” Sarah comments in their next Home Ec. as she chops up carrots. The sudden declaration is almost enough to make Six cop her fingers as she cuts up a potato, and she internally curses at how careless she’s being. Despite herself, she lets her walls down and she smiles.

“What, you jealous?” she teases lightly, and oddly finds that she enjoys it. Teasing people is never something that she’s ever done, never been something that Katarina has encouraged – Six’s life has always been about the mission, nothing more, but coming to Paradise and making ‘friends’ has shown her that there’s more to her life than the goals that have been drilled into her for years now.

Sarah laughs happily.

“Nah, I’m just glad you’ve made friends,” she informs, and Six doesn’t doubt her honesty for a second. It’s a far cry from when she arrived here, suspicious of everyone and everything. “You and Binta have always seemed, well, _closed-off_ , no offense – it’s quite odd, when you think of how social Binta’s mum is.”

“Jamila’s _very_ social,” Six agrees on instinct, starting on the potatoes. She barely even notices Sarah’s wide-eyed look. “It takes a while to meet her because she’s always so busy…” She waves a hand in a very Madeira-like gesture, and it occurs to her that the Hispanic girl has probably been wearing off on her. “Doing things.”

“Oh, so you met Jamila, huh?” Sarah asks rhetorically, and Six frowns at the unreadable tone in her voice. “And you’re already on first name terms with her. Wow, you and Binta must be getting close. She hardly lets anyone meet her mum. I think the list is, oh – me, Angie, Macia, I think? And now you.”

“Angie?” Six asks, in slight surprise. Despite Madeira somehow now being her best friend and Angie being Madeira’s girlfriend, she’s just never really gotten round to getting to know the other blonde.

Sarah nods, ponytail bobbing up and down with her, much in the way it does in PE.

“She and Binta actually used to be pretty close,” she informs, sounding kind of sad as she speaks her next words. “Then Angie and Madeira got together and she and Binta just kind of… drifted apart. It was a shame, really, but now I see that I have no cause to worry.” Sarah smiles at Six, and the Loric’s heart flutters. “Binta’s found an equally as good friend in you.”

Six smiles slightly, but somehow, some part of her heart tells her that she’s going to end up fixing this.

* * *

“I was serious, you know,” Binta tells her eventually, when they’re walking down a corridor together. “About wanting to fight.”

Six nods, because she believes Binta and has no reason to doubt the half-human, half-Loric.

“I know you were,” she tells the black girl, tying her hair up into a ponytail as she does so. “And still are, I’d bet.”

Binta nods.

“You won’t stop me?” she asks quietly, almost afraid that Six’s answer will be yes.

“…No,” she says after a few moments of hesitation, and she finds it odd that she feels so good about herself for making Binta William-Aguda smile.

* * *

 

When the day of Macia’s party rolls around, the school is abuzz with activity. Paradise is a small community, and Paradise _High_ is even smaller, so whether someone’s been invited to Macia’s party or not, Six has no doubt that everyone will find their way there tonight.

Except for Binta, apparently.

“Why can’t you come?!” Macia exclaims at the dinner table, looking genuinely upset. “You’re one of my best friends, you have to be there!”

Binta shrugs and a small smile comes onto her face. She’s seemed happier lately, more open, ever since her mother talked to her properly about her past. Six is glad for it. When she’d talked to Binta before, the black girl had always seemed closed off, no doubt pulled into the group by Sarah much in the same way that Six was.

“I have to pick up my little brother from his friend’s party,” she explains, taking a bite of her salad. “It’s ages away, and after that my mum wants me to check into a motel. Doesn’t want me driving so early in the morning to pick him up. Ayo’s going to a sleepover,” she adds, almost as a second thought.

“Maren, you’re still coming, right?” Yuna asks, turning to the smaller girl and shooting a smile that seems slightly forceful, almost as though to say “you’d better be”. Maren nods, right as Sarah laughs and grabs her arm.

“Of course she is!” Sarah exclaims, winking at Six. The Loric girl blinks. “You can be my lifeline.”

“I think I’m going to try and spend the night with Sam Goode,” Emily announces, twirling some pasta round in her fork. Six frowns, thinking of the skinny blonde, who she’s not spoken to lately. She feels a bit bad, but Katarina’s been stepping up on her training so she hasn’t really had enough time. Plus, Jamila Aguda has been helping to control her elemental manipulation and telekinesis, much to her pleasure – it’s better to have a teacher who has experienced the same thing herself. “Try to get him to open up more.”

“He’s always so closed off,” Sarah chips in, frowning slightly. Six wishes she’d smile – it looks better on her. “I should probably make him sit with us. Do wonders for his social life.”

Yuna laughs.

“That’s really a thing for you, isn’t it?” she asks, cocking her head with eyes twinkling. “If someone’s all lonely, then you kidnap them and force them to join your little group.”

Sarah shrugs, still smiling.

“Let’s just say I’ve been there,” she says brightly.

* * *

“When I got here, I was the weird Polish girl,” Macia explains to Six as the two walk back to the former’s house. Katarina was fine with Six going, as long as she helped to set it up. Something to do with “making sure these people owe her something”. Six is helping just because she wants to. “No friends, barely spoke English… It seemed like it was just me and my imagination, against the world.

“Then came Sarah,” Macia states, smiling and laughing at even the memory. “She didn’t care that I was foreign, or that I was a weird little kid even back home, always imagining things. She got me to be less shy, made me sit with her, even learnt some Polish to help me learn English. She was great. I don’t know if I could have done it if it wasn’t for her.

“Binta’s lived here her entire life, but she was home-schooled for most of it. When she came here she didn’t really know how to… make friends, shall we say. She didn’t have a filter, she was rough and intimidating, and, I’ll admit, if it weren’t for Sarah then I wouldn’t have even gone _near_ her. But that’s the thing about Sarah Hart – she _tries_. And she’s determined enough to succeed.

“Yuna came to this country and, like me, found it hard to adjust. She was used to a different set of norms, didn’t know what was ‘cool’ here, had trouble fitting in. Sarah just grabbed her hand and tugged her along.

“Emily was… in a bad place when we met her. Depression. She moved here when bullying and stuff got pretty bad at her old school, and she came here expecting the same kind of isolation. What she got instead was _Sarah_ , of course, bouncy and lovely and…

“When are you planning on asking her out, anyway?”

Six blanches at the last question, the sudden change in topic, turning to Macia with a look of shock on her face. The Polish girl just grins slightly evilly, a glint in her eye that Six can’t read.

“What, you think that no one can tell? I’ve seen the way you look at her. Yuna has, too. And Angie said that Madeira used to look at her the way you look at Sarah, before they got together. And Sarah likes you, too. Trust me.” Macia winks, smile teasing but genuine. “I know these things.”

Six thinks that Macia almost sounds like Binta in this moment, but next thing she knows they’re at the house.

And she decides to ask Sarah out tonight.

* * *

At some point during the party Six has lost sight of Macia, and Yuna’s off snogging some dude in a corner – Cliff Hillsborough. Apparently his brother Tommy helps out during Halloween on some hayride thing and Yuna met Cliff through him, when Tommy set the two of them up. Six doesn’t really care, but she finds it cute anyhow.

“Her parents are in Poland for the week,” Madeira tells her as the Hispanic girl pops up randomly next to her. A couple months ago it used to startle Six, but now she’s actually grown used to it. She’s not sure whether that’s good or bad. Madeira sighs wistfully, being overly dramatic as usual. “Wish I got to go,” she comments, groaning and folding her arms. “But I’ve never even left Paradise.”

“You mentioned,” Six informs dryly, smirk coming easily to her face. Before she came to Paradise she wouldn’t have smiled like this – she would have huffed in irritation and probably resist the urge to punch this girl.

But this is not before she came to Paradise – this is after she came to Paradise, and she’s a different person now; a better one.

Madeira sighs.

“Everyone’s drunk and it’s annoying,” she complains, for some reason scrunching herself and her shoulders up and popping out at the end of the sentence. “I have no one to talk to. Even _Angie’s_ drunk, and I don’t like her drunk. She’s not…” Madeira waves a hand in what’s probably supposed to be a helpful explanatory gesture, but just serves to confuse Six even more. “Herself.”

Six nods, because she’s sure that any further conversation with Madeira on this topic will just make her completely and utterly _lost_. But she’s gotten to know Madeira even since she arrived here, and has grown to know that Madeira is just confusing in general – and she wouldn’t be Madeira any other way.

“You’re not drunk,” Six points out, and Madeira does that thing again – the thing where she goes quiet and distant, where her deep brown eyes seem to be thinking about something else entirely.

“I don’t drink,” she says quietly, looking so small and sad that Six just doesn’t know what to say.

“Hey, Maren!” a voice calls out, and Six looks over to see none other than Sarah Hart bouncing towards her. From the alertness with which she moves, _she_ isn’t drunk, either. Sarah sighs in relief when she reaches them, smiling widely. Her cheeks are flushed slightly and, oddly enough, Six finds her own cheeks flushing.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Madeira announces, back to her usual cheerful self. Six frowns at how quickly she snapped. The Hispanic girl winks. “I think Maren might have something to ask you, Sarah.”

Six could honestly murder Madeira for that, but as the small girl skips off ( _literally_ skips. So. Weird) she finds her whole attention on Sarah Hart, who is smiling smally but genuinely, and it’s a pretty smile, Six thinks. There’s a reason she’s been looking forward to seeing it for so long.

“Sarah ,I…” Six begins, trailing off, not even sure why she’s doing this. Surely Sarah won’t go out with someone like her, cold and icy and way, _way_ smaller than her? She won’t, Six is certain. To be honest, a few months ago she never would have thought that she’d ever got out with someone like Sarah.

“You… What?” Sarah prompts, still looking nice and perfect, even with the party thrumming around them. Both things are heating Six up and she feels oppressed, so receiving a text on her phone is a welcome distraction from the current situation.

It’s from Binta. Just three words, but enough to lift her heart and make butterflies tickle the innards of her stomach even more than they already are.

_from : Binta W-A_

_she’ll say yes_

Six smiles.

“Sarah Hart, will you go out with me?” she asks, and Sarah doesn’t even hesitate.

“Of course,” she answers, tilting her head and furrowing her brow in a playful way, as though it should have been obvious, and Six finally can’t help herself – she kisses her.

It’s an awkward first kiss, not really all that comfortable, to be honest. Six forgot to shut her mouth and Sarah didn’t close hers either, so their teeth clack together and send shivers down Six’s spine. Due to this, their spittle kind of mixes a bit, and it’s a tiny bit disgusting if Six is entirely honest, and she can physically _taste_ the cider that Sarah has clearly been drinking. It’s hot and sweaty in the house, and so are they, so that’s a main factor as well.

Six hears cheering from around them and looks up to see a bunch of people crowded around, all whooping and cheering. She flushes, and wonders how it got to this – that she’s comfortable around these people, that she _can_ flush, that she’s happy in Paradise at all, and Six finds that she doesn’t care.

“About time!” Emily calls out, standing next to Sam with their arms linked and hair mussed up, lips swollen, and Six grins.

It _is_ about time, she thinks.

* * *

“You enjoy the party?” Six asks, not out of interest but just to keep herself occupied. Sam nods, a little awkward.

“I guess,” he replies, fiddling with his locker. Six leans next to the orange one next to him, watching the people trickling through the corridors and noting the occasional glance towards and whisper about her. “It’s not really my type of thing. My first official party, really.” He pauses, looking both sad and happy at the same time. “If I’m honest, I think I was only invited because you were.”

“I’m sure that you were invited for you,” she comforts, and when Sam smiles both wryly and genuinely it makes her uncomfortable and she has to go with a sudden subject change. “So you and Emily Goring, huh?” Six asks Sam, wide grin on her face. He looks nervous but confident, and it’s an oxymoron in and of itself. He blushes, but speaks, and Six deeply respects him for it.

“I, uh,” he begins, rubbing the back of his neck and looking sheepish, and Six notices that he has gotten rid of his glasses, something to do with confidence, probably. Six doubts he ever even needed them, but is glad for their absence. They made him look like a bug. “I’ve kinda liked her for a while. At the party we kinda got talking, and she kissed me. Don’t know why, but…” He trails off, shrugging and blushing.

Six’s smile turns genuine.

“She kissed you because she liked you,” she says warmly, and it occurs to her that it’s a far cry from how she acted when she arrived here. She is glad for the change. She likes the New Her a lot better than the Old Her.

“So you and Sarah Hart, huh?” he mimics her earlier statement, looking genuinely happy for her. “How did _that_ happen?”

Six smiles and laughs.

* * *

Mark James corners her on Monday.

“Hey, it’s Maren, right?” he asks, then carries on without waiting for her reply. “I’m Mark James.”

“Hello Mark.” It’s not a greeting – it’s almost an accusation, in the way it’s stated. She breathes out harshly. “Look, what do you want?”

Mark looks softer at that – kind, almost, but Six can’t forget the way he’s treated Sam, the way he tried to squeeze her ass on her first day, and she won’t think of him as a better person just because of some look he suddenly gives.

“I wanted to… apologise,” he says haltingly, giving away that he really is finding this difficult and really isn’t joking. “For… well for being an asshole, I guess.” He clearly tries for a smile, though it ends up coming out more as a grimace. “You, uh, you really seem to be good for Sarah – better than I ever was – and I just want you to know that, um, I won’t get in the way of your relationship or anything like that. So, yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck and looks monumentally awkward, but still like a huge burden has been lifted off his shoulders.

“You’re not… homophobic?” Six asks hesitantly, and notes that Mark looks a bit offended at the statement and, okay, she can admit, it is a little judgemental.

“That’s be a bit hypocritical, considering,” he points out as though it’s common knowledge, before his eyes widen a noticeable fraction. “Anyway, you, uh…” He takes a deep breath, as though saying whatever he’s about to will take a great deal of courage. “You should probably go talk to Madeira Harris about her home life.”

Six raises an eyebrow. _That_ wasn’t what she was expecting.

“What?”

Mark sighs.

“I know that she has it rough. And, well, you’re supposed to be her best friend, right? She could probably do with some help.”

Six narrows her eyes as what he’s implying dawns on her, and she makes a mental note to check on the absent Madeira tonight after school.

“And how exactly do you know this?” she asks, traces off a menacing threat in her voice.

“Guess it takes one to know one,” he states quietly, and Six feels a little pang in her heart. “We’re kind of in a similar boat, I guess.”

Then he leaves before Six can get another word in, and she’s left standing with a partially open mouth and a lot of unanswered questions on the tip of her tongue.

* * *

True to her word, Six goes round to Madeira’s that night. She gets the address from Angie, who greets her with a smile and a teasing “how’s Sarah?”

Six had replied that Sarah is her girlfriend now, so she _must_ be doing well, to which Angie had simply laughed.

Now Six finds herself walking towards the address Angie had given her with anticipation churning in her stomach, internally dreadfully fearing what she will find there. Could Mark be right? Could Madeira really be being… abused? It doesn’t seem possible, surely not. She’s talked about her older sister, wouldn’t she have stopped it? Unless… Madeira said that Graciela was at university now. She wouldn’t be there.

But, if Madeira is being treated that way, then how could Six have failed to notice the signs? Madeira’s supposed to be her _best friend_ , for Lorien’s sake. Why did she need _Mark James_ , of all people, to point it out to her? And what was that Mark said about being in a similar boat? Could he be… treated in that way too?

No time to ponder on it anymore, because the next thing Six knows she’s standing in front of an old wooden door and knocking on it sharply.

It swings open slowly, with Madeira standing on the other side. She looks like usual, with her same frayed and customised clothes, the same dorky green baseball cap, with two major differences – the posture, deflated and so _un-Madeira_ like that Six ends up doing a double take to make sure that it’s really her best friend that she’s looking at.

The second big difference is Mareida’s black eye.

Any doubts about Madeira’s home situation go away in that second, upon Six’s viewing of the shiner blooming on her best friend’s face.

“Madeira,” she says bluntly, not bothering with formalities or anything of the sort, not when her best friend is so obviously hurt and in trouble. “Who did that to you?”

“What, this thing?” Madeira exclaims, trying for a laugh and a casual gesture towards the black eye. It doesn’t really work. “Fell over, you know me.”

“Yes, I do,” Six says coolly. “And I know that you aren’t that careless. Someone did that to you. And _don’t_ try lying to me, because I will know and it will not be pretty.”

Madeira looks hesitant, but she answers truthfully, and for that Six is grateful.

“My dad,” is the quiet answer, and it’s enough to infuriate Six to no end.

“Is he inside now?” Six demands hotly, with a cold sort of anger bubbling just below the surface, and that feeling only increases and intensifies with Madeira’s sigh and momentary lift onto her toes before she drops back down.

“Look, Maren -”

Six can’t deal with this right now – she can’t cope with the evasion and the secrets, and she knows that she has them too, but hers don’t get her hurt on a day-to-day basis. Hers _prevent_ her from getting hurt, and Madeira’s do the opposite, and it’s for these reasons that Six rolls her eyes and barges past her best friend and into the house.

“Maren, wait!” Madeira calls after her, but Six doesn’t wait – she just strolls right through into the main living room and is confronted by Madeira’s dad drinking a glass of what she presumes as alcohol.

Six doesn’t think – she punches.

“Maren!” is Madeira’s yelp from behind her, and the only thing which stops her from going further. Her teeth are bared and she is seething and maybe even glaring, but she doesn’t even care right now because this guy _hurt_ her _friend_ , and Madeira is such a lovely girl, such a sweet kid, and this guy is worse than the Mogs for doing something like this – and – and…

“Maren,” Madeira gasps, and the Hispanic girl is suddenly beside her and when did that happen? Anyway, Madeira has grabbed her arms and turned to face her, with tears welling up in those big brown eyes of hers and her fingernails are really kind of digging in now but since doesn’t care because Madeira has clearly been hurt worse. “It’s okay it’s – _I’m_ okay, Maren, you don’t have to step in or anything, I’m fine…”

“You’re not fine!” Six yells in Madeira’s face, and the small girl flinches and the Loric feels a bit bad about that but she just. Can’t. _Deal_. With. This. “And I obviously _do_ need to step in, for exactly that reason!”

The tears are openly running down Madeira’s face now, and the curly-haired girl is sniffling like crazy to keep them in and Six wonders just how much practice she has had.

“You little bitch!” a voice shouts from the floor, and suddenly Madeira’s dad is rushing towards her, red-faced and swearing, and once again Six doesn’t think – she thrusts her hand out and use her telekinesis to send him flying backwards.

Madeira gasps through her tears at the sight, and Six has a brief _oh, crap_ moment, but right now Madeira’s safety is worth more than Six’s identity, so she grabs the arm of her best friend and pulls her out of the house.

Madeira is shaking and trembling all the way to Six’s house, and every so often a small whimper will escape the mouth of the small girl. Six half expects her knees to buckle and for sobs to fully wrack her body at any given moment, but much to Madeira’s credit she keeps strong and keeps on walking. Six likes that about her.

What she _doesn’t_ like about her is the whole _keeping secrets_ about _abuse_ thing.

When they get back Katarina isn’t in, which Six is eternally grateful for. She sits Madeira on the lumpy, ratty sofa sitting in the middle of the living room, grabbing some frozen peas from the almost barrenly empty fridge, returning to see the small girl hunched in on herself on the sofa.

Madeira is still shaking slightly and when Six gently pulls her hands away from her face she sees that her lip is trembling, so she tries to take care when cleaning her up. Madeira flinches at her touch and even more so when she presses the ice-cold bag on her swollen eye, but Six does her best to get her movements slow and relaxed whilst working.

“Hold this,” Six commands in what she hopes is still a soothing tone, and much to Madeira’s credit she manages to take a deep breath, mostly overcoming her shaking to hold the bag in place.

Six leaves for a couple minutes to fetch some water, making sure to leave the door open and make enough noise that Madeira doesn't think she’s abandoned her in any way. In the kitchen, unseen by big, brown and hurting eyes, she downs a couple glasses of water herself and leans against the kitchen counter, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. She mentally does counting exercises, trying to slow her adrenaline levels and calm down, to keep a clear head, like she’s been taught to do if in a fight. No use panicking over small things.

But this isn’t a small thing, not at all, not in the slightest.

The phrases that Madeira has said run through Six’s mind, things like _“That was before the **accident** ,”_ and _“Angie’s place is so much better than mine”_ and _“I don’t drink”_ , and Six wonders why she didn’t put the puzzle pieces together before.

Once she thinks that she’s sufficiently calm, she pours another class of water to take to Madeira. Back in the living room, the smaller girl takes it without a word of complaint and holds it in her other hand, sipping slowly and looking like she’d rather not but does so anyway.

Six can see her trembling through the vibrations in the water.

Six kneels carefully in front of her, not wanting to sit beside her and disturb the other girl in any way.

“Do you want me to call Angie?” she asks slowly, treading carefully, and she doesn’t even have Angie’s number but she’s sure that she could get it from Yuna or someone, if she just asked.

Much to her surprise (and maybe not-surprise, thinking about it) Madeira shakes her head almost frantically at the suggestion, eyes wide and almost terrified.

“No!” she babbles, a little loud and forcefully, flinching away from even her own voice but still gathering the energy to carry on. “I don’t want her to, to see me like this, it’s not something that she should see, not something that she can know – Maren, please don’t tell her!” she gasps, panicking now so badly that she spills her drink everywhere. Madeira looks guilty and tears brim in her eyes but she has a spark of fire in her eyes that Six can respect. The next sentence is spoken softly, but still with an incredibly strong and forceful edge to it that leaves Six almost in awe of this little girl with a mightily big heart. “You _can’t_ tell Angie.”

Six doesn’t care about the fresh tears trailing down Madeira’s cheeks, or the snot running steadily out of her nose and into her mouth. She doesn’t care about the spilt water all over the couch, the floor and Madeira herself. She doesn’t even care about the secrets, in this moment, she places her hand over Madeira’s, the shaking one that dropped the glass, and stares her best friend in the eye.

(Six isn’t worth the title of best friend, not after she missed all the clue’s, little subtle things that her training should have made her pick up on, but she ignores the thrumming in her heart and behaves in the way she should do right now – like a good, supporting friend. She can beat herself up about it later.)

“Madeira, Angie is your girlfriend. She cares very much about you, and she is a very important part of your life.” She speaks slowly, emphasising every word, hoping that it gets through on some level. “This is something that she _needs_ to know. You don’t have to tell her if you don’t want to, I can do that for you, though I guess that at the end of the day it is your decision and I will respect whatever you choose. Just – I think that she would feel as though this is something that she can help you through. Like you would help Angie through it if she were the one in this situation.”

Hesitantly, Six squeezes Madeira’s hand in the same way that Sarah did for her, all those months ago on the racing track – a gesture of support and comfort, a promise that she will be there if Madeira needs her, and the Hispanic girl smiles through her tears.

“Not right now,” Madeira manages to get out, through her deep breaths managing to get some semblance of calm. “I’ll – I’ll tell Angie later, we can get her round here but – in a few hours, maybe. Just – just not right now.”

Six nods, and she _understands_ , she can respect that, because she’s _been there_. She’s been the girl that doesn’t want anyone to see the real her if she can avoid, the girl who’s desperately hurting but just as desperately doesn’t want anyone to see, and Six can empathise with Madeira on a level that she’s not sure every other person in the school can.

(Mark James can, apparently, and Six knows that she really has to do something about that but right now Madeira’s comfort and safety is paramount, and nothing else matters.)

After a few minutes of silence, Madeira manages to ask the question that Six has almost forgotten about.

“What you did, back at the house – how is that _possible_?”

Six goes cold at the words and stiffens, and _oh, right, she used one of her Legacies back there_. And she decides that, since she now knows a truth about Madeira, it’s time that Madeira knows a truth about her.

“I’m not exactly what you’d call… a _human_ ,” she confesses slowly, trying to gather up the courage to finally, _finally_ spill everything that’s been on her chest ever since she got to Paradise – screw that, ever since she got to _Earth_.

And so Madeira Harris listens with wide eyes as Number Six tells her _everything_.

* * *

The situation is explained to Katarina by a relieved Six, and Katarina says nothing when she tells her about Madeira knowing everything, but Six can see both the disapproval and acceptance in her eyes.

Her Cepan is kind to Madeira, though, and for that Six is grateful. Katarina takes a re-look at the bruise around her eye, being gentle, and asks Madeira if she’s been hurt anywhere else, which Six feels a little guilty for not asking about. It turns out that Madeira’s been hit several other times – once in the stomach, winding her, and there’s a rather nasty bruise on her leg that looks like it came from a boot of some sort.

Katarina goes so far as to even helping the exhausted Hispanic into bed, tucking her in like she would her own child and being mindful of the younger girl’s injuries.

Once Madeira is asleep and the door is shut Katarina leans against it, sighing heavily.

“You know, Six,” she says abruptly, startling the Garde. Six looks over to see the beginnings of a grim smile tugging at the corners of her Cepan’s lips. “I may not be acting like it, but I am _proud_ of what you did today.” Six blinks, surprised but happy. “That, if nothing else, is a sign of how great, how strong you have already grown, and you will only get better in the future.” Katarina sighs again, then says simply. “Get some sleep, Six. It’s been a long day.” Her eyes drift towards the door that Madeira is behind, before she begins to walk off. “For all of us.”

Six smiles and nods to her Cepan’s retreating back. She full intends to get some sleep, but she has some business to take care of first.

* * *

Six didn’t tell Katarina about the whole “I used my telekinesis and Madeira’s dad saw” thing, just _knowing_ that if she did, then they’d have to move again. Instead she sneaks out in the night, invisible, creeping quietly towards Madeira's house, slipping in as an uninvited guest.

Madeira’s dad is sitting at the same table he was before, nursing a beer in the same position. It makes Six seethe that he could be so casual about – about all of this! He doesn’t get that right, not after how he’s been treating Madeira!

Six notices that he has a rather nasty purple lump on his face from where she punched him, but she can’t even bring herself to feel sorry for him, nor does she want to.

She remains unseen walking all the way up to him, before purposefully reappearing in order to grab him by the neck and pin him against the wall.

“Why,” she grits out between clenched teeth, and it’s not a question so much as a demand for him to _talk_. He does, but about the wrong thing.

“You – you’re that freak!” he exclaims, all red-faced, and he doesn’t have a right to call her that, not _him_ of all people.

“No, you’re the freak,” she counters, making sure to dig her elbows in harder. “Now. Tell me why.”

“Why what?” he tries, faking innocence, and Six gives him a grim smile and shakes her head slowly, trying to install every bit of fear she can into him.

“You _know_ why what. I’m talking about using your own _daughter_ as a piñata.”

Madeira’s dad gets a glint in his eye and it sickens Six.

“Because it was her fault,” is his only answer, like that’s supposed to settle everything in his favour. Six growls, his comment only serving to anger her further. The hell it settles _anything_.

“What was,” she demands, and when she gets no further she digs her arm in further and injects more of a rough edge into her voice. “ _Speak_.”

“My wife,” he finally gasps. “She was killed in a car accident. Madeira’s fault.”

“ _How_.”

“She was driving to pick her up from school. Crashed, got killed. If Madeira hadn’t been born -”

“What?” Six hisses, digging in further and ignoring the man’s pain. If it’s even a _tenth_ of what he’s inflicted on Madeira, then he deserves it. “You’re blaming Madeira for _being born_? What kind of a sicko are you?!”

“But it was an after-school club,” he proclaims, a nasty glint in his eye by now. “I didn’t want Madeira to go, but she convinced us anyway.”

“What, and that makes it _her fault_?” her voice is rising in pitch now, but she’s so _angry_ that she doesn’t care. “ _That’s_ your dumb excuse for beating your daughter up on a regular basis? You’re one _nasty_ piece of work, you know that, right?”

“But she didn’t blame herself!” Madeira’s dad explodes, and he’s just as angry as her right now, pushing and clawing to get out of her grasp, but Six has Loric strength on her side, and he definitely doesn’t. “She had the – the _audacity_ to _look me in the eye_ and _tell me_ that it was ‘an accident, nothing more’, and she doesn’t even feel _guilty_ about it!”

“Sounds to me like Madeira’s got the right outlook on life,” Six snarls. “Unlike _you_.”

Then she tosses him carelessly to the ground, not even _caring_ where he lands because he is scum, because he is _below_ scum and doesn’t even deserve this personal visit from her.

“You are a pathetic excuse for a human being,” she spits at him, grinning evilly when he looks up with pure terror written over every inch of his face. “And if you even go _near_ Madeira again, if you try to get custody of her or try to hurt her or speak to her or _anything_?! Then I will kill you.” She pauses to let that sink in, then.

“You’re bluffing.”

Six cocks an eyebrow.

“Am I?” She spreads her arms, letting him survey her fully. “You’ve seen what I can do.”

“Yes, I have!” He latches onto that last strand, desperately trying to save himself. Six wants to spit on him for even _attempting_ the pitiful effort. Pathetic. “And I’ll go to the police and I’ll tell them _everything_ that I saw!”

“No, you won’t. You know why not?” She doesn’t even give him a chance to answer before carrying on. “Because they won’t believe you. Just look at your table. What do you see? Alcohol. They’ll think that you were drunk.” She grins maliciously, loving the absolute _power_ that she has over this man. “So you will listen to me, and you will listen _carefully_.

“Don’t. Touch. _Madeira._ ”

Then she walks out into the dead of night, invisible, and tries to quench the angry, fiery inferno blazing away in her heart.

* * *

When Six gets back, Katarina is awake, sitting at the kitchen table as Six tries to slip through the door. She may not want to have this conversation, but Katarina is her Cepan and she refuses to betray her by simply ignoring her presence.

Instead, Six turns visible and sits down beside Katarina, folding her legs in a very Jamila-like way.

“We should move,” Katarina states into the still atmosphere, shoulders tense and but eyes unmoving from where they’re looking at the table. “We’ve stayed here for too long, anyway.”

“We’re _not_ moving,” Six tells her – she’s still angry, it’s still blazing away inside of her, and she can see where Katarina is coming from but she refuses to give up her _friends_ , her new _family_ – she refuses to give up Sarah.

Katarina just nods, looking tired and exhausted despite her warrior persona.

“I said that we _should_ move,” she clarifies, and Six grins slightly despite herself. She can see where this is going, she knows Katarina too well. “Not that we _will_ move.” Katarina sighs, bone-tired and weary but still so very fierce and strong. “You’ve made a life for yourself here. You fit in. If anyone comes sniffing around, you won’t be the weird loner – you’ll be just another student, practically invisible in terms of standing out, which is what the Mogs will be looking for.”

“What about Madeira?” Six asks, because her heart is still thrumming and _she has to know_.

Katarina sighs again, but this time she manages to muster a smile onto her face.

“I suppose it could work out for the best that she knows,” Six’s Cepan muses, finally moving her gaze to look out of the window. “It certainly wouldn’t be avoidable, with her living here now.”

As soon as those words register, Six smiles – _truly_ smiles, for the first time that evening.

* * *

“What about my dad?” Madeira asks quietly, the next morning. “I’m going back to him, right?”

Six is happy to shake her head and smile slightly, hoping that the anger and violent satisfaction of last night doesn’t show through.

“You’ll never have to go back to him again,” she promises. “You can live here now.”

She can see the conflict behind Madeira’s eyes – one half worried, one half relieved.

“But he’s not like that all the time,” Madeira informs, helping herself to Six’s untouched piece of toast. Six herself resists the urge to smirk. Same old Madeira, still after everything that’s happened. “Only… only some of the time. And it’s worth being there for when he isn’t drunk.”

“No,” Six tells her, whole-heartedly believing what she’s about to say next. “No, your dad isn’t worth it at all.”

Madeira looks hesitant, but she smiles.

“So,” the Hispanic girl says abruptly, sitting up suddenly straight and beginning to swing her legs back and forth. “Last night, you said you had some special powers, right?” Big brown eyes turn to Maren, curious, and Six can’t help but grin a little at the sudden subject change. Madeira has adjusted to the knowledge that she’s from outer space rather well.

“You want a demonstration, right?”

At Madeira’s nod, she sighs but stands up.

“Alright,” Six says, gesturing to leave with her. “Follow me.”

* * *

Six has spent several days showing all her powers off to Madeira, who has taken it all in with wide eyes and a big smile. It’s taken a great weight off her chest, confiding in someone, having someone _know_ , but all too soon the weekend is over and it’s back to school for the both of them.

Belatedly, she realises that they forgot to call Angie, but as the walk in she sees Madeira run off to the taller blonde and say something looking serious before the two go off to somewhere private, so she’s confident in the knowledge that Angie now knows about the whole ‘Madeira is living with ‘Maren’’ thing. She’s made Madeira promise not to tell anyone about the ‘’Maren’ is an alien’ thing, and no matter how hyper the Hispanic girl can get Six trusts her to keep her gob firmly shut.

* * *

“So you saved Madeira, huh?” Binta asks when the two are alone outside, the black girl looking satisfied, and Six can almost swear that she can see the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. “Good. I’m glad.”

“Did you know?” Six asks because _she_ has to, she has to know whether Binta knew but left her all alone to fend for herself. She is relieved to see the taller girl shaking her head.

“I had slight suspicions,” she confirms, looking guilty as she does so. “But for some reason, my vision has always blocked me on that front.” She shrugs. “I don’t know why.”

Six nods, because she had the clues, too, but she didn’t do anything about them either, not until Mark James talked to her.

Speaking of Mark…

“What about Mark James?” she abruptly asks, flashing back to their conversation on Friday. “Do you ever get visions about him?”

Binta frowns and shakes her head.

“Never,” she says honestly, looking a little surprised that Six would ask. “But if you want to know something about Mark, then I’d suggest going to Sarah about it. Sarah’s supposed to be your girlfriend, right? Then spend time with her. Ask about Mark, if you want.”

Six nods, because Binta is right – she _hasn’t_ spent time with Sarah since the party, since she's been so caught up with Madeira and her powers and…

Some information that Sarah gave to her so long ago fronts to fore part of her mind.

“Sarah said that you and Angie used to be friends,” Six informs casually, ignoring Binta’s head snapping to turn to her with wide dark eyes. “But that you drifted apart.” She looks over to the half-Loric, trying for a small smile. “You should talk to her. Make friends again.”

Binta is the one to turn away know, exhaling slowly and looking out at the courtyard.

“…I used to resent Madeira,” she admits into the silence, looking sad and resigned as she does so. “Angie was _my_ friend, my closest friend, my best friend. Then  suddenly Madeira swept in and it was like she just… swept her away. Like Angie went off and forgot all about me. Like I’d only ever been ‘just good enough’, and meeting Madeira had let her see how much better she could do.

“When I found out on Friday about Madeira, when my vision finally broke the barriers and let me through… I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Here I was, envying Madeira because she was took my best friend away, and yet… Madeira had it so bad. I have it much better than her, considering.”

Six puts her hand on Binta’s arm, smiling slightly when the other girl turns to look at.

“Talk to Angie,” she repeats, and then adds on another thought. “And talk to Madeira, too. Get to know the both of them, properly. I’m sure they’d be _more_ than happy to get to know _you_.”

Binta looks hesitant, but she nods and smiles slightly.

“I’ll… do that. Thank you, Maren.”

Six nods and smiles, and wonders how it’s gotten to the point that’s everyone’s counsellor and confider.

* * *

Taking Binta’s suggestion, Six talks to Sarah about Mark, but the blonde is having none of it.

“I don’t want to talk about Mark!” Sarah declares, looking happy even as she does so. Six breathes out harshly, but this is Sarah and she can’t stay frustrated at Sarah with that smile for the life of her. “I want to talk about you! About me! About _us_!”

Six _doesn’t_ , but Sarah’s wide grin and bright blue eyes are enough to change her mind.

“Alright,” she says, laughing. “What about us?”

“My parents want to meet you,” Sarah announces, making Six blink.

“You… told them about me?”

Sarah frowns lightly, and Six wants her to smile again. She looks prettier like that.

“Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?”

Six shrugs.

“I dunno. When do they want to meet me?”

“Can you do Saturday?”

“Saturday sounds good to me.”

Sarah smiles again, eyes twinkling, and Six’s heart flutters in her chest.

“It’s a date.”

* * *

At Sarah’s house Six is happily welcomed by her family – perhaps a little too welcomed. When all the questions and chatting and food gets to be too much for her, she politely excuses herself to wander outside and look up at the night’s sky. Sarah follows.

“It’s a little overwhelming, huh?” the blonde asks, folding her arms in the slightly chilly air as she strolls over to stand by Six. Sarah’s blue eyes manage to meet Six’s hazel ones, and the taller girl smiles. “You look beautiful,” she tells her honestly, and Six can’t help but let a small flush come onto her face. She’s known Sarah for about half a year now, and she still finds it hard to accept all the compliments from the blonde.

“Your family are… nice,” she tries, looking for the right word to describe them. She half expects Sarah to get offended over her tone, but her girlfriend just laughs.

“They like you,” Sarah informs, cocking her head slightly. “If they didn’t, you’d know about it.”

It’s enough to make Six smile, grateful for both Sarah and her family’s support.

* * *

 A couple days later, Sam is pale and shaking when he comes into school. When Six asks what’s up with him, he tries for a shaky smile.

“I read this magazine,” he says, voice wobbling slightly. “And the writers were murdered over the weekend.”

“Oh,” is all Six says, a little shocked at the bluntness of his statement. “I’m… sorry, I guess.”

Sam nods, pulling a copy of _They Walk Among Us_ out of his bag. Six has seen him with it a couple times, but it’s just written by a bunch of conspiracy lunatics, so Six doesn’t really think that Sam will be missing out on a lot.

“This is the last ever issue published,” she says, sounding mournful. He hands it to her, as though expecting her to care. Six takes it just to not hurt his feelings in some way, briefly flicking through before her eyes catch sight of something and she stops dead.

The word _Mogodorian_ is what turns her body cold, sending shivers down her spine and making her struggle slightly for breath. Her hazel eyes flicker over the text as she takes the whole article in with a steady and ominous growing dread, because _someone knows_. Or rather, someone _did_ know, and now they’ve been murdered because of it, and more people could know, including Sam and…

Six runs, not even thinking of the consequences because she needs to get this article to Katarina, _now_ , and she barely even registers Madeira noticing and calling after her, coming to run alongside her.

Six just runs.

* * *

Once back at her house, Six spills all to Katarina and Madeira, who both take it in with wide eyes.

“We should leave,” Katarina says again, but Six shakes her head.

“No,” she says, gasping. She may have enhanced abilities, but that doesn’t mean that running doesn’t always tire her out. “No, that will just make us look even more suspicious. Besides, the Mogs have killed the writers. They’ll think that it’s contained.”

Katarina purses her lips, but doesn’t argue.

“…I want you to stay home for the rest of the day,” she says finally, fists clenched as she grips the magazine tightly. She turns to the small Hispanic girl. “You too, Madeira. I’m going to do some research, and I want to look into this, and I want the two of you to help.”

Both girls nod, and as they walk off Madeira mutters something which makes Six’s heart stop.

“You probably gave yourself away to Sam.”

And those words are enough to make it feel as though a cold blade is piercing Six’s heart.

* * *

Sam confronts Six by pulling her to the side when the bell goes and ensuring that they are alone in an empty corridor.

“What’s the deal with you?!” he demands, with a hot sort of ferocity that makes Six blink in shock. She’s never seen Sam so determined about something, not since she got to Paradise. “You’re acting all secretive, so what’s up?!”

Six tries to take lessons from Madeira, widening her eyes and blinking owlishly in what she hopes is an innocent look.

“What do you mean?” she asks, trying to create a fake air of nonchalance, but Sam is having none of it. He narrows his eyes and Six kind of wishes that he’d kept the glasses, so that he would find it harder to see.

“You and Madeira Harris are hiding something, something big,” he says, voice shaking slightly with what could be either fear or rage. Perhaps both. “Binta William, too. It’s something to do with that magazine, and _don’t_ bother lying to me, because I will know.” The statement is eerily similar to the one that Six said to Madeira when she confronted her at her house.

“Sam, I’m _not_ hiding anything,” she announces, and maybe sort of hisses which really kinda gives her away but she’s just so _desperate_ to keep Sam both as a friend an in the dark that it doesn’t really occur to her right now. “Just drop it, okay?”

Sam says, “no, no, _not_ okay,” right as a curious voice behind Six says, “What’s going on?”

Both Sam and Six turn to see none other than Sarah Hart, of course, holding a toilet pass with wide eyes and a high ponytail. She shuffles a little nervously, moving forwards and looking a bit scared.

“Is everything okay?” Sarah asks, and Six wants to curse and maybe she does because isn’t is just _perfect_ that Sarah’s here right now?!

“It’s not!” Sam practically spits. “Because _Maren_ here is keeping _serious_ secrets!”

Six doesn’t even try to tell him that she’s not because right now she’s focused on Sarah – Sarah, who her relationship is still in the developing stages with, but that she still cares deeply about. Sarah, with her beautiful bubbly blonde hair and big blue eyes. Sarah, who she might just be in love with.

Sarah, who is looking at Six like she’s betrayed her.

“… Maren?” she asks hesitantly, looking like she doesn’t want to believe Sam but does anyway. “Is Sam – is he telling the truth? Are you hiding something big?”

Six wants to cry right now, she wants to scream and shout and rage that it’s not right to be confronted like this, and the world can hear her, she doesn’t care, but instead what she gets is her own lips sealed tightly shut as Sarah finally gets the courage to wander over and place her hand gently on Six’s arm.

“Maren, whatever it is, you can tell me,” she says gently, as though Six is a scared little cat that needs protection from the big bad dog. “I won’t judge you, I swear. You can trust me.” She glances between Six and Sam squeezing Six’s arm. “You can trust _us_.”

And damn it all but she does, Six _does_ trust the two of them, she trusts them and she loves Sam like he’s her own brother and she loves Sarah a whole lot more than that, and she knows that it’s time to open up and bare her soul.

So, that night, Six takes them to the woods, along with Madeira and Binta, and she shows them. She shows them her powers, she tells them her story, and when they accept her the way that they always have, she smiles and she just doesn’t stop, because she has never felt happier.

And then she knows that she’s going a bit too far, but the following night she does the same for Yuna and Macia, who simply smile and act as though they knew all along, and Six doesn’t want Madeira or Sarah or Sam to have to keep this a secret so she brings Angie and Emily the following night, and the support that she has from the eight of them is enough to lighten her soul and help her to share her terrible burden.

And Binta talks about her family and heritage, about her own abilities, and how she felt when Angie stopped being so close with her, and Sam talks about his father, about their conspiracies and how he went missing and left him all alone, how he felt outcasted at the school, and Sarah talks about Mark and photography, finding ‘Maren’ and finding love, and Macia talks about coming to America, feeling lost but finding friends, similar for Yuna, and Emily talks about the bullying at her old school and Madeira talks about her dad and how he treats her, and Angie talks about finding love and how it lit up her whole world and…

And in turn, each of them bare their souls, open up their chests and put their hearts on full display and truly get to know each other. Angie and Madeira apologise to Binta, who simply accepts them and apologises herself. Six can’t help but smile at that.

Because she – she has done this. She has united these people and allowed them to see each other, and she’s sure that if anyone else came here in her position, any other number, Four or Nine perhaps, then the same would not have happened.

And there is Sarah, who Six kisses into the dark of the night and trusts whole-heartedly. Six thinks that no one has ever mattered to her as much as Sarah, not ever, not in her whole life, and no one ever will.

Six loves Sarah. This is a simple fact of life.

And she has friends, now, and a family, a whole bunch of people to care for and support her, and back at school she can be open and free – everyone shares smiles and hushed secrets, they can function together as one unit, and it’s amazing, Six thinks, that she caused this. She made this happen, and screw Lorien because she has never been prouder in her life and this, _this_ is what she has been born to do.

* * *

And then, of course, Number Four arrives at Paradise to unite the numbers, and tears down everything that Six has worked so very hard to build.


End file.
